[lit-ideas] Re: voting
- From: Andy Amago <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 10:30:26 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Afghanistan has a very illiterate population. During the recent elections one
illiterate voter from the provinces was asked how he would know who to vote
for. He said, God is in charge of all things. When I go into the booth, God
will take my hand and guide me who to vote for. This seems a variation of what
would happen in this country if people were required to vote by law. The ones
who don't vote now would do an eanie meanie secular version of the Afghanistani
voter's method. Seems to me if people know and care what's going on, they vote
without being forced. I would think a country is better served with an engaged
electorate, but that might be just my opinion. It's the reasoning behind the
Founders establishing the Electoral College in any case.
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: "Steven G. Cameron" <stevecam@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Oct 19, 2004 10:19 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: voting
**The system in Australia seems superior to ours: mandatory voting,
polling on Sunday, automatic registry of citizens over 18, etc. Why is
it impossible (or rather, unlikely) to ever be implemented here??
TC,
/Steve Cameron, NJ
Andy Amago wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
> Sent: Oct 18, 2004 11:32 PM
> To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: voting
>
>
>
> This is one of those times when we should think a bit before throwing=20
> out the baby (early voting) with the bath water (the lousy,=20
> computer-crashing, hackable implementation).
>
>
> A.A. Early voting seems to me like a jury voting before all the evidence is
> in. In the 2000 election, Bush's DUI information came out after people in
> Florida voted. It's possible some who voted early might have voted
> differently had they had that information.
>
> A national holiday is a good idea. A national election day was only enacted
> into law in the 1870s' I believe. Before that, each state voted on a
> different day. Maine voted in September. The people who don't vote don't
> know what's going on anyway.
>
>
> Andy Amago
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> One of the difficulties with the all-one-day system is that voting day=20=
>
> for US national elections is always a Tuesday, a working day for most=20
> of the voting population, which means that most people with jobs have a=20=
>
> disincentive to vote. Allowing early voting means that people who=20
> might not be able to get to a polling place on the Tuesday have a=20
> chance to cast their ballots on another, more convenient day.
>
> My favorite proposal is, however, a fairly obvious one=81\make Election=20=
>
> Day a national holiday, so that no one can be prevented from voting by=20=
>
> a boss who insists on their working.
>
> John McCreery
>
> P.S. Early voting is also, by the way, turning out (if the=20
> implementation isn't screwed up) to be a boon for poll watchers, who=20
> can cast their own votes in advance and then be able to concentrate on=20=
>
> combatting intimidation or other voting suppression efforts on Election=20=
>
> Day.
>
>
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